Come Back To Me
by Canadian Pixie
Summary: Sookie and Eric have some domestic problems. Takes place after DITF. Canon to books, not TV show. Please read & review!  :
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood fic! I haven't written a fic in about 5 years so I might be a little rusty, If there's any issues, I apologize in advance. I haven't read any of the short stories yet, so any info from there wouldn't be included at all. This fic takes place after Dead In The Family. Don't forget to read&review! Enjoy! **

I took a couple deep breaths, preparing myself. I was sitting outside of Fangtasia just before it opened for the evening. Even though I was able to enter through the employees door around back, I was parked out front, purely out of habit. I watched as avid fangbangers and curious tourists joined the line-up, awaiting entrance into the club. They only had to wait a few more minutes as Pam, Eric's second-in-command, pushed the doors open, the train on her long black filmy dress trailing behind her. She stood by the door, checking people's ID and greeting each person before ushering them inside to pay the entrance fee. She flashed each and every person a glimpse of her fangs with an over-the-top and slightly seductive smile. Seeing Pam caused my stomach to lurch slightly. My visit to Fangtasia tonight was more business than pleasure, and I wasn't expecting it to turn out well.

I heaved a sigh and did a quick check in the mirror that my make-up wasn't smudged and my ponytail was still straight. I'd untied it and retied it more times than I could count in the half hour that I'd been waiting for the bar to open. I got out of my car, making sure to lock it before heading to the front door. (I was a stickler for personal security, even in a tense enough moment like this). I could read the slight shock in Pam's face before I'd even reached her.

"Sookie, what a surprise! Was Eric expecting you this evening? He never mentioned anything," she spoke in her slight English accent of long ago. I pasted my nervous smile on my face in an attempt to hide my anxiety. I hoped Pam didn't notice.

"No, Eric wasn't expecting me this evening. This is sort of a surprise visit. Is he here yet?" I asked her. I knew he was close by, but I felt the need to ask the routine question. Pam nodded and allowed me to pass by without another word. She knew I knew where to find him.

I nodded to the anonymous fangbanger standing behind the coat check counter. I'd been given her name so many times, I always felt bad when I couldn't remember it. But she knew who I was, knew I didn't need to stop at her counter. I passed through the bar, nodding at Felicia, Fangtasia's current bartender. At least she'd fared better than past bartenders there. She tried to look busy, tried to avoid my eye. No matter how hard I tried to convince her I had no reason to harm her, she still seemed almost afraid of me. Imagine, a vampire afraid of me!

I pushed my way through the slowly growing crowd to the plain looking door that lead to the supply room and offices in the back, nodding at Maxwell, the vampire selected to guard the door for this evening, as I passed through. He nodded back but didn't stop me. He knew I had every right to be behind that door. It shook me that all these vampires barely even threw me a second glance as I headed for Eric's office. When had I gained so much power in the vampire bar? Oh yes, when Eric had tricked me into becoming his wife. Not in the traditional sense, but in the "vampire-secret-ceremony-with-a-sacred-knife-as-the-vow" kind of thing. That stupid trick still bothered me, even though I loved Eric. The closer I got to him, the more relaxed I felt, and the more annoyed I became with myself. I had come here this evening with a purpose. I didn't want anything stopping me from doing what I was there to do. I reminded myself of why I was there.

I knocked lightly on Eric's office door, even though I knew he'd heard me coming down the hall, knew he smelled me probably as soon as I'd entered the bar, and probably could just sense I was on my way to see him as soon as he'd awoken at full dark. I pushed the door open slowly. Eric was standing behind his desk, his back to the door. He appeared to be reading one of the numerous newspaper clippings that hung on the office walls, all pertaining to Fangtasia or Eric over the years (or centuries in Eric's case). There were only a few regarding vampires in general, and those few were only the most important articles. After a quick glance at the article from where I stood in the doorway, I noticed it was an older article the Shreveport paper had written about Eric's random disappearance and reappearance after the Witch War last year. (The disappearance and reappearance of a prominent business man in the city will always be a big deal, whether vampire or human).I knew he'd read that article several times before and was curious to know why he was studying it now.

"Eric," I said in a quiet voice. He seemed to shake himself awake. He'd been in what I like to call 'vampire downtime' where they just kind of seem to shut off and stare into space. He'd been having more vampire downtime than usual since his maker met his final death a couple months ago. Eric turned around with a smile on his face, his fangs out slightly. He crossed the office in only a few long strides and gathered me in his arms. I breathed in his smell deeply. Most vampires smelled ever so slightly of death, but tonight Eric smelled deliciously of my favourite cologne. He held me tightly for so long, like he seemed afraid to let me go. I was worried he knew why I was there. He finally let me go and stared into my eyes. His eyes were as blue as the ocean. I loved looking into his eyes. I could stay lost in them for hours. I mentally shook myself and prised myself out of Eric's arms. He looked at me a second longer before crossing back over to his chair behind his desk and sat down. I took a seat in the comfortable guest chair opposite him.

"How are you, my wife?" he asked me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. That term got on my nerves quickly sometimes. Tonight was one of those nights.

"I'm fine Eric. A little annoyed you haven't called me in a week, but still fine," I told him. He looked guilty for a split second.

"I had planned on coming to visit you tonight, after the bar had been opened," he explained. "But, now that you are here, I don't need to." He made coming to see me sound like a chore. I felt my nerve start to slip ever so slightly.

"Look, Eric, I came here to talk to you about something," I said a little too forcefully.

"You are agitated about something," he told me suddenly, as if he hadn't heard me speak.

"Well, yes. Like I said, I came here to speak to you about something. Something very important. And I need to speak my piece before you say anything," I said, my nerves starting to fray more quickly than I figured they would. He nodded, indicating he was shutting up, but not for long. I had to work fast.

"Ever since Appius Livius met his final death, you've seemed distant and very hard to deal with. Your temper is shorter than ever. You seem to be almost moping about. When he died, you seemed grateful, because you were free. This is not what I expected by you being free. And all this emotion, the coldness, the hardness, are trickling down from you to me. And it's affecting my life more than you can understand…" I trailed off, not sure what to say next.

Eric stared at me with cold eyes. "So what you're trying to say is…"

"I think we need to spend some time apart," I rushed to say, practically speaking over Eric. The coldness in his eyes got even colder, his fangs ran out slightly. I could feel the pull of his anger in my soul because of our blood bond. It was killing me to feel crushed at the thought of us splitting up. I anxious for his reaction and the anger I could feel building inside him coursed through me as well. I thought I was going to explode from all of the emotion, mainly anger, building up inside of me through Eric.

Finally he spoke, "You don't want to be with me anymore? Are you saying you no longer love me?" It was a simple enough question, with a simple enough answer so why was I hesitating?

"ANSWER ME!" Eric roared. I jumped at the hatred in his voice. He was pissed. I was expecting this, but I continued despite how scared I was of him at that very moment.

"Eric," I began, tears now starting to trace their way down my face, "I do want to be with you. I do love you. I just feel we need a break. I think I need some time away from the confusion you've had since your maker died and you need to figure out why you feel this way. I don't think what you're feeling is normal, not matter how long you were together. I don't want a break forever, just for a short while. I need a breather," I explained quietly. I was beginning to lose the last bit of strength I had. I got up from my chair. I walked around the desk and held Eric in an awkward hug around his shoulders and kissed the top of his head, letting my hair mix with his for a second. He flinched at my first touch, something I hadn't expected.

"I love you," I whispered into his hair, before I turned to leave. He didn't stop me. As I turned to close the door to his office, I saw bloody tears streaking down his face, his shoulders shaking. It broke my heart into a million pieces. My big, strong Viking who had lived for a thousand years had just had his heart broken by a human.

I hurried my way through the packed bar to the front door. All of a sudden, there was a panic rising in my throat. I needed fresh air, I needed to be outside right now. I shoved my way through the crowds, getting several dirty looks as I made my way through. I didn't care what people thought of me. I finally made it through to the door and ran past Pam.

"Sookie!" she called after me. I stopped in the middle of the parking lot and turned to look at her. I could tell she knew what I had just done. She didn't need to see the pain and anger in my eyes, my tear streaked face.

"Look after him for me, will you? He'll need you," I told her, before turning and running the rest of the way to my car. I managed to unlock it with my eyes blurred over. I drove out of the parking lot quickly, almost hitting a few cars on my way out. I drove a couple blocks before turning into the parking lot of some business that was closed for the night. I turned the car off and let the tears fall even more. I cried and cried for what seemed like hours, pounding the steering wheel at appropriate times. Why did doing what seemed like a good idea hurt my very soul so much?


	2. Chapter 2

Water sloshed onto the counter as I forcefully dropped some plates in the full sink for washing. A fire last year had destroyed the kitchen my family had sat in for generations. The remodelled version contained a dishwasher, but there was something therapeutic about washing dishes by hand when you were upset.

I scrubbed each plate thoroughly, even though they were hardly dirty to begin with. Lunch had been cold cut sandwiches and potato chips. I washed the glasses and cutlery we used as well and placed everything on the drying rack before pulling the plug from the drain. I watched the water empty in a daze then dried my hands on a dish towel and headed outside. I walked around the house to our tool shed where my brother, Jason, and his newly reappointed best friend Hoyt (also newly married to fellow waitress, Holly) searched for shovels.

It was a Saturday and the boys had the day off from work and were here to help me dig up an especially frustrating stump in the backyard that was just in my way. I grabbed some gardening gloves to avoid getting my hands too dirty. While Jason and Hoyt had the day off, I was scheduled to work the late shift at Merlotte's tonight. They located the shovels, as well as a pick and an axe (for the more troublesome roots) and we all trudged farther into the backyard to get to work. Jason, Hoyt and I all loved being outside working in the gorgeous sunshine, so we worked quickly. When we finally stopped for a break, I took a look at my watch and realized we'd been working for 3 hours non-stop. It was time for me to start thinking about getting ready for work. I left the boys to continue, telling them I'd be back shortly with iced teas for them. As I was entering the backdoor to my house, I heard someone ringing the doorbell from the front. I ran to open it, checking the new peephole before swinging the door open.

"Alcide! What a pleasant surprise! What brings you by?" It really was a surprise. I hadn't bothered the read the brains signals from the other side of the door before opening it for some reason. I gave the werewolf a quick hug and moved out of the way to allow him into the house. I hadn't seen him since the pack meeting I attended almost two months ago. While being pack master seemed to agree with him, I missed the old carefree Alcide. He flashed me a smile.

"I hear you and Eric broke up," he stated, cutting to the chase. No beating around the bush when it came to Alcide Hereveaux apparently.

"Oh geez Alcide! Is that really why you dropped by?" I was seriously annoyed. "Since when did it matter to you? Didn't you yourself say we probably weren't ever going to happen? And what does it matter if Eric and I broke up? It's really none of anyone's business."

"I didn't come here to gloat, if that's what you think," he told me. "I came here just to see if the rumours going through the pack were true, which they seem to be. I also came here to offer you protection should you need it. Eric has a lot of power and a lot of enemies trying to take that power from him. Just because you are no longer together, doesn't mean his enemies still won't come after you. I'm just here to offer you, as a friend of the pack, assistance should you need any." Alcide did have a point, though I didn't want him to know it. I just kind of shrugged my shoulders in his direction. My Gran would have lectured me for hours over my response to such a huge offer.

"Whatever makes you happy, Alcide," I told him. What else could I say, no thank you? "Would you like a drink? I have to get ready for work soon, but I have time to share a drink with you, if you'd like." I really didn't want to have that talk with Alcide any further, but my brain went into autopilot and offered my surprise guest some hospitality.

The werewolf shook his head with a small smile. "No thanks, Sookie. I was on my way back to Shreveport from Jackson and wanted to stop in myself, rather than call you about this." He gave me another hug, one that I welcomed, and left. I stood there a moment, slightly overwhelmed at how effective the supe grapevine in Shreveport was. Then I remembered the boys out back and my promise of iced teas. I hurried to get a little tray together with glasses filled to the brim with ice and homemade iced tea and a plate of cookies. I hurried it outside to them and ran back inside for a quick shower before work. I washed my hair quickly, taking the few minutes to shave my legs. It was warm at night now, so I'd be wearing my shorts to work. I blow-dried my hair and stuck it in a high ponytail and dabbed on a little make-up. As I was heading out to my car, I shouted out to Jason and Hoyt that I was headed to work. They waved goodbye before turning back to the stump that was almost finished. I knew they'd work as long as they could. I reminded Jason to lock the door when they left for the night then headed down the driveway.

When I got to work, I waved at Antoine through the kitchen hatch and went to say hello to my boss Sam, who was working on drinks behind the bar, nodding to Holly that I was here to take over for her when she finished dealing with the table she was at, taking drink orders.

"Two Cokes, a white wine and a gin and tonic," she told Sam before turning to me. "Was Hoyt still at your place when you left?"

"Yeah, but they seemed to be almost done when I left. Unless they ran into problems, they should be done before night finally falls," I explained to her. She smiled at me and turned to take her apron off and head home. Sam and I waved as she left.

The rest of the night went quickly and quietly. Even for a Saturday night, Merlotte's seemed quieter than normal. Sam was worried it had something to do with the threats some people have been leaving for Sam, or that it might have to do with him being a shifter. I thought it was mostly because of the new bar, Vic's Redneck Roadhouse, opening up not all that far from here. After finishing up my closing duties of restocking all the salt, pepper and sugar shakers on each table and toping up the ketchup bottles, I waved goodnight to Sam as we parted ways in the parking lot. Sam lived in his trailer just behind the bar. It seemed perfect for him.

I drove up Hummingbird Road and turned down my driveway. As I rounded the house, I saw a blonde figure sitting on my front porch swing. I sighed and pulled around the back of the house. I unlocked that back door and let myself in. I headed for the front door, turning on a few lights as I went and opened the front door.

"You can come in, Pam," I said, inviting the vampire in. I couldn't remember if she still needed my invitation or not, but it was polite to invite her in regardless. She glided in the door, wearing her normal selection of pastel coloured pantsuits. It must be her night off from Fangtasia.

"Sookie, I've missed you," she said, giving me a small hug before sitting down on the couch in the living room.

"A bottle of True Blood?" I offered. She nodded and I headed back to the kitchen for the bottle, popping it in the microwave for a few seconds and shaking it as I headed back to hand it to her. After she accepted it, I sat across from her in my Gran's old chair. I waited for her to start.

"He's been miserable since that night," she told me point blank. I knew why she was here before she even started. It didn't take a genius to figure that one out.

"I know, I've felt it. But he needs to figure out why he's been so cold since Appius Livius died again. I couldn't handle the emotional rollercoaster he was on from that. It seems my leaving didn't help, judging by how I've felt because of him, but I can't go back just to suit him. These past three weeks have been hell for me too, but he still needs to figure things out," I explained. Every word seemed to cut through my heart, but I spoke the truth. Pam just nodded. I assumed Eric sent her here, in hopes that just telling me how upset he was would have me running back to him. She had no answers for what I was telling her. I hung my head, trying my best not to cry.

"I still love him, and I miss him terribly, but I'm sticking to my word. Until he's worked out his problems, I'm not coming back." I felt tears rush down my cheeks and I reached up to brush them away.

"Well, he won't like what you had to say, but I'm sure there isn't much he can do about it," she said, and then got up and left, just like that. Vampires! I grabbed her bottle and rinsed it out in the sink. I checked the locks on all of the doors and windows before changing into my favourite sleeping T-shirt and climbing into bed. I fell asleep almost right away, exhausted from working in the yard all day, then working at Merlotte's in the evening. I knew Eric was furious with what Pam told him, because I had a terrible sleep. I had nightmares throughout the night and once or twice I woke up and thought I could see someone sitting in the chair in the corner of my room.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, a Sunday, I woke up to the sun shining brightly through my open curtains. I stretched out in the bed, both enjoying the space and hating the lack of a body in it with me all in the same instant. I glanced at my clock and saw that if I hurried, I would be able to make it to the 11 o'clock mass at church. I showered quickly and threw on one of my nicest Sunday dresses and a pair of pearl earrings I had found in my grandmother's jewellery box after she'd passed away. I slicked my hair back into a ponytail just to avoid having to blow dry it. As I rushed through the kitchen towards the back door, I noticed a note on the table that I hadn't seen last night. I grabbed it and tucked it into my purse, reminding myself to read it after church when I had a moment. I made it to church with just a few moments to spare and was pleasantly surprised to see Sam Merlotte, my boss, sitting in one of the back pews. I grabbed a seat next to him just as the service began. An hour and a bit later, service was over and I was standing back in the beautiful sunshine with Sam. I stood close by while he chatted with a few important people. Eventually, he made his way back over to me.

"What would you say to lunch, Sookie?" he asked. I smiled and nodded. Sam and I got along great. I loved hanging out with him. He drove us over to Crawdad Diner, a place we usually picked when having a meal out away from work. We enjoyed a peaceful lunch where Sam asked me questions about my situation with Eric and I dodged his questions. I, in return, asked him about his relationship with Jannalynn, a werewolf in Alcide's pack, and Sam dodged answering those. It seemed not long ago we confided in each other for almost everything and now we had nothing to talk about for fear of saying something we couldn't or didn't want to talk about.

Eventually, lunch ran down, Sam paid for lunch (after firmly telling me it was a pleasure to treat me to lunch once in a while and no amount of arguing with him would change his mind), I left the tip and we climbed back into Sam's truck. Our conversation was extremely light on the way back to the church where my car was still parked. This was unusual for Sam and I, who sometimes couldn't stop talking even if we tried. He pulled up next to my car and we said our goodbyes, saying we'd see each other for the lunch shift on Tuesday. He waited around until I was in my car and then took off. My drive home was quick and I was surprised to see my cousin Claude's car sitting in the driveway around the back of the house. It hadn't been there when I had left for church and I hadn't seen or heard from him in days. I let myself in the house and headed for my room. I heard the shower going in the hall bathroom as I passed by. I quickly shed my dress and opted for a bikini top and short shorts. No use letting perfectly good sunshine go to waste. I grabbed my gardening gloves again and got to work, tending to the weeds in my Gran's garden. At least I was doing something useful while I was sun tanning. A couple hours later, I felt all sunned out, my body was covered in a thin layer of dirt, the sun was thinking of starting to set and I was dog tired, but the garden was free of weeds for the time being. As I entered the kitchen, I saw Claude and Dermot, my great-uncle, sitting at the kitchen table each eating a quick microwavable dinner.

"Working tonight?" I asked them.

"Yup," Claude said. "We have to be on hand to open one of the clubs and then we're headed over to the new one for the rest of the evening. Got any special plans tonight cousin?" He waggled his eyebrows at me a little. I don't think he had a clue about what was going on between Eric and I. Claude was too self-absorbed for that. I shook my head.

"Nothing special. Just me and a good book, maybe a movie," I told him. I bid them good bye and went to jump into the shower to wash the grime off from my gardening. By the time I got out, my fairy family members were gone and I had the house to myself. I changed into some comfy pyjamas for the evening and turned on the radio. I danced around as I made myself some dinner and ate at the kitchen table that was still dirty from Claude and Dermot's easy dinners. I was going to have to speak to them about cleaning up after themselves if they planned on staying around much longer. After cleaning up my mess and theirs, I turned the music down a little and grabbed the mystery novel I was reading and curled up on the couch to read. I don't know how long I read, but slowly, I became aware of the feeling that someone was watching me. I couldn't feel any brain pattern so I assumed it was a vampire. I glanced out the nearest window only to see a reflection behind me, instead of a face in front of me. I spun around to see Eric standing behind me, simply looking down at me.

"Jesus Christ, Shepherd of Judea!" I shouted. "Eric! You nearly scared me out of my skin! Why didn't you say anything?" I jumped up, longing to hug him and never let go. But I held my ground. I didn't know why he was here and we had things to discuss. The sadness in his eyes made it almost unbearable. His face was whiter looking than normal, and it looked a little sunken in. He looked sick.

"Did you not get my letter, my love?" he asked quietly. I shook my head.

"Where did you leave it?" He gestured to the kitchen table. The light bulb went on in my head.

"Oh, that was from you! I hadn't read it yet. I assumed it was from Jason from yesterday," I explained. He shrugged. Eric, my Eric, actually just shrugged his shoulders at me. The gesture was extremely human to me and Eric never used it. I suppressed a laugh at him. I suggested we move our conversation outside to the porch, only because the room seemed to be suddenly overwhelming. We took a seat on the swing on the front porch. Eric didn't make a move to start a conversation, so I had to.

"So," I began, "had you been here long?" He simply nodded.

"Are you going to talk to me or not?" I demanded. I hated being the bad guy, but if he wasn't going to talk, what the hell was the point of all this.

"I left you the note on the table last night, after Pam left here, after you went to bed for the night. I didn't want to wake you, but I needed to see you. So I came over and sat in your room, watched you dream. Just before sunrise, I got into the hidey hole. I left you the note so I wouldn't startle when I woke this evening," he explained, almost no emotion in his voice, as if he was defeated.

"Why did you come Eric?" I asked him. He looked up at me, bloody tears forming in his eyes. My heart broke. I shifted over in the swing and let him lay his head on my shoulder. We sat like that for several minutes before either of us said anything.

"I've missed you more than you can begin to imagine," he said. "I longed to call you every night, but I knew you wouldn't take my calls. I knew I needed to sort my life out first. I still haven't been able to figure out why I have been the way I have been since Ocella met his final death. I was feeling empty after he passed on, and it's only gotten worse since you left…" He trailed off and I looked down to see his eyes closed. I wasn't sure if he'd fallen asleep or not, but I didn't want to disturb him.

"Have you figured anything out yet?" I asked softly.

"No," he said after a moment, "I haven't figured out why I'd been so cold and empty. I came here this evening to tell you this, and to ask if you would consider coming back to me or at least allowing me a visit once in a while. I feel drained without you near." I sighed.

"Eric, I meant what I said," I told him, my tears falling onto his arm. "I love you so very, very much, but I don't want to come back until you're sure why you've been so distant with me." The pain of all this was almost unbearable, between my own pain and Eric's pain. We remained sitting on the swing, Eric's head still on my shoulder, for what seemed like hours. I eventually realized I had fallen asleep, because when I awoke I was laying down on the swing with my head in Eric's lap. He was simply staring off into the forest. When I stirred, he looked down at me with pained eyes. He helped me to my feet.

"I should head back to Shreveport. I have some business to attend to before I go to ground for the day," he said. I nodded, finally leaning in for my hug from him. He breathed deeply as he held me.

"You smell amazing," he told me. "Wet dirt, fairy, strawberry shampoo and a strong allure of sunshine." I could feel him smile against my ear.

"I love you," I whispered. He squeezed me tighter.

"My one true love," he said, and then he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

I stood on the porch for a little while longer, unsure of what to do. I knew it was late, I just wasn't sure how late. I turned to close my front door shut and strolled through the forest to the graveyard that lay between my house and my ex-boyfriend, Bill's, house. I found my grandmother's grave easily, even in the dark. I sat next to her headstone and cleaned the natural debris off. I missed her so much, I wished I could talk to her personally about all my problems.

"Gran, what do I do? Eric's maker was killed for good and since then he's been unbearable so I told him I was taking a break. But now Eric is mopey and Pam says he does nothing almost every night, just sits in his office at the bar and stares off into space. She says he barely even has any blood now. I can't go back on my word, but at the same time the separation is killing me too. I'm feeling my pain and Eric's. I just don't know what to do Gran!"

I curled into a ball on my grandmothers grave and cried for a while. No thoughts came to me on how to deal with the situation, my mind didn't shift to favour one side of the situation any better than the other. Eventually I wiped the tears off my face and headed back to the house. I had to pass Tray Dawson's gravestone on my way back. I stopped and lay a hand on the cold marble stone for a moment. I missed Tray, he was a generous and kind man that had been dating my friend Amelia when she lived with me. She'd since moved back to New Orleans and I missed her just as much as I missed Tray. I kept heading for the house, suddenly worried something might pop out of the darkness to et me. But I felt no brain patterns at all, or any holes to indicate a vampire.

After letting myself back into the house, I realized I wasn't tired at all. Glancing at the clock mounted on the fireplace mantle, I saw it was just after four in the morning. The sun would be up soon enough. Deciding not to force myself to go back to bed to just have myself lay there and stare at the ceiling, I ended up cleaning the house, even the places that didn't need cleaning at all. I did five loads of laundry in between scrubbing the floors and baseboards. I vacuumed every corner of the house. I even ventured upstairs and cleaned Claude and Dermot's rooms, making sure not to use my lemon scented laundry detergent on their clothes or any lemon scented cleaners in their rooms. Just before seven, I stood in the middle of the living room, surveying the damage. You could almost hear the clean sparkle. I sat down on the couch for a moment to relax and the next second the sun was bright and someone was knocking at my door. I scanned the brain pattern and found it was Alcide again. I opened the door and he chuckled.

"You look like shit," he told me. Gee thanks!

"Please come in," I said.

"Go jump in the shower and get dressed. I'm here to take you to lunch," he said. I opened my mouth to ask how he had the nerve to demand I do something but he held up a hand to silence me.

"I promise, I'll explain it all on the drive to Shreveport," he said. Satisfied enough with the answer, I headed to my own bathroom, looking at the clock on the fireplace mantle again and noticing it was after noon. I glanced in the mirror above the sink when I arrived in the bathroom and had to agree with Alcide, I did look like shit. My hair was smushed up on one side of my head, I had a big smudge of dirt on the side of my face from laying on my Gran's grave, there was tear tracks in the dirt on my face and because I'd never officially gone to bed I hadn't done my nightly routine of washing my face, so the make-up I'd worn yesterday was creased all over my face. I looked anything but nice. I jumped in the shower and washed quickly, making sure I got all the grim off. Unsure of where we were going for lunch and what to expect afterwards, I changed into a simple enough sundress that was both casual and a little dressy. Paired with the right shoes and accessories, I could go either way in this dress. I blow-dried my hair and let it fall loose down my back and then padded into the living room to ask Alcide where he was taking me.

"Nothing super fancy. I do have to get back to work later this afternoon," he explained. I told him I'd only be a few more minutes. I dabbed on a touch of mascara and slid my feet into some plain white sandals that matched my dress. I grabbed my purse and off we went. Climbing into Alcide's truck in a dress has always been an interesting adventure. The forty minute or so drive to Shreveport was silent except for the radio that Alcide turned on shortly before leaving Bon Temps. I knew it wasn't right but I tried reading Alcide's mind once or twice on the drive over, simply because I was curious what was going on. All I met was the usual tangled mess of shifter brain I couldn't translate.

Eventually, we pulled up in front of a plain looking restaurant called Summer Nights. Upon entering, I saw it was almost as plain looking as Merlotte's only more restaurant and less bar. The girl who acted as our waitress seemed fresh out of high school. She seemed jittery enough, so I didn't dip into her brain. After ordering our drinks (and iced tea for me, a beer for Alcide), I looked at my lunch companion.

"So what's this all about?" I asked. He had promised me answers on the drive over and after patiently waiting for them and not getting any, I was a little annoyed. Alcide gave a very small sigh I barely even caught. I heard him mumble something about how he should have said no to begin with and the only reason he had said yes was because it was me. Concerned, I grabbed his massive hand and squeezed it.

"Alcide?" He looked up at me. No tears in his eyes, thankfully, but he wasn't exactly happy either.

"I was asked to take you to lunch today," he said. I immediately went on the defensive. My mind went into overdrive trying to read everyone's minds at the same time to see who I should be weary of. With only a handful of people out to a later lunch, it wasn't that difficult but I didn't catch anything of use.

"What? How could you Alcide? I thought I could trust you!" I almost shouted, trying everything to keep myself in check in a public place where I was in danger.

"No, Sookie, you've got it wrong," he said. "Eric asked me to take you to lunch. He explained your situation briefly and asked that I take you to lunch, to keep you company. He knew you needed a friend." Eric had hired me a babysitter, how lovely.

"What situation would that be?" I asked.

"Just that you and he were having some troubles and were taking a break. He made me swear up and down that I wouldn't make a pass at you." He smiled at that. "I didn't ask for any more details, just the basics. He said he was asking me to do this because he was concerned for you. I know he's asked Sam as well and he's trying to track down Tara and Amelia." Oh boy! I thought. I calmed down, no matter how much it bugged me that Eric was trying to find people to keep me company until our break was over. At least I wasn't in danger.

"Thank you Alcide. You should have explained earlier. I'm sorry I got angry with you. Did Eric say why exactly he was asking everyone this?"

"He just said he could tell you were lonely and hurt and he was concerned," he explained. I thanked Alcide again and we made small talk during our meal, neither of us mentioning Eric again. After the meal that Alcide paid for (claiming he was going to chalk it up as a business expense and to quit insisting on helping to pay for everything) was done, I told him I wasn't ready to go home. He dropped me off at the Target around the corner from his office, explaining how to get to his office building in case I was bored before he came to pick me up. He promised he'd be back in two hours and off he went. I browsed each and every section of the store three times before debating heading over early. As I was waiting at the registers to pay for my few items I picked out, Alcide texted me, saying he was waiting outside for me. He drove me home, our conversation fun and light. I asked him about the pack and if he was seeing anyone. He asked about home life, work and how life was living with two fairies.

Soon, I was home and as I was sliding out of the truck, Alcide promised me he wouldn't call as often as Eric wanted him to, but he still would because we were friends. I thanked him and watched as he drove off. By the time Alcide had dropped me off it was shortly after my usual dinner time. Letting myself into the house, I dropped my shopping bags on the table and checked my phone messages. There was one from Tara asking me to call her when I got in and a similar one from Amelia (of course) and one for Claude regarding work. I left a note for Claude about his message and moved my bags to my bedroom. I unpacked and changed into a T-shirt and some comfy shorts I sometimes wore to bed. I padded back into the kitchen and made myself a couple slices of toast with peanut butter and homemade raspberry jam. After eating every last bit and cleaning my mess, I checked all of the locks and headed to my bedroom. It was shortly after nine but I was exhausted, having not slept much the night before.

I was asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

I woke up early the next morning, the sun just starting to rise over the horizon. 7am, far earlier than I usually got up. I lay in bed for close to half an hour, just allowing my mind to relax and enjoy the quiet of the house. I could sense the familiar brain patterns of Claude and Dermot upstairs asleep. I wondered when they had gotten in. I almost never heard them come in at night, no matter what the time. Eventually, my bladder deemed it time to get out of bed. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I threw a light, worn bathrobe on and headed for the kitchen. After checking the coffee maker and flipping it on, I looked out the back window. Seeing Claude's car parked next to mine was a comforting sight, regardless of the fact that I could tell he was in the house already.

A few minutes later the coffee pot was done brewing. I poured myself a large mug of the liquid gold and let myself out the front door to sit on the porch swing. As I stepped outside, I stumbled slightly on a small rectangular velvet box sitting just outside the door. I bent down to pick it up and sat down on the swing. I opened the box that was covered in soft black velvet. Inside was a Post-It that simply read _**E**_. I smiled a small smile and put it aside. Underneath the note was a breathtaking white gold tennis bracelet with tiny rubies dotting the delicate metal. I slipped the note back in and closed the box, unsure of what to do. Did I really want to return such a beautiful gift? And there really wasn't any reason to not accept it, so long as it wasn't Eric trying to simply win me back with gifts. I decided to sit on it for the day and make a decision on what to do by nightfall. I placed the box carefully on the arm of the swing and sipped my coffee until I'd finished the mug.

I headed back into the house, taking the gift with me. I placed the box next to the coffee maker and pour myself another cup. Then I got to working on my breakfast. I made myself a simple omelette with red and green peppers, a little bit of ham and some cheese. After finishing up my food and coffee, I did a quick tidy of the kitchen and headed for a refreshing shower. I had to be at work for the lunch shift today so I washed and dressed into my uniform fast, deciding to let my hair air dry. I put on a touch of make-up, now ready to face the day. It was after 9:30 by the time I was done everything, so I decided to return my phone calls from the previous night. First I called Amelia, hoping I wasn't waking her.

Her phone rang four times, and I was thinking about hanging up, when Amelia's voice answered the phone.

"Hello?" she said sounding slightly out of breath.

"Amelia? It's Sookie," I told her.

"Sookie! I've missed you! How have you been? You should come down for a visit," she said quickly.

"I've missed you too! I've been good, and I'd love to come for a visit, but not right now. I've got some things to handle here. I think they'd go to hell if I left even for a weekend," I explained.

"Oh, you must be referring to Eric," she cut to the chase.

"I'm assuming he called you?" I asked her.

"Yeah, he wanted me to come visit you. Said he'd pay my way and even pay me to come see you. It sounded like a bad idea and I also didn't want to even think of coming to see you until I'd spoken to you. What's up with him anyways? He sounded so, well, lost."

"He is, I guess," I said. Then I explained the whole situation to her. She was quiet while I spoke, only interjecting when she had to answer a question I'd asked or to say the occasional 'Oh no!'.

"That's it! I'm coming to visit! And no, I'm not mentioning this to Eric. I was never interested in his money," she told me when I'd finished my story. I assured her she didn't have to, but she insisted. Eventually, we worked out the travel plans and she and I said our goodbyes, happy to see each other in a few days. That call over with, I decided I should call Tara back as well. She picked up on the second ring.

"Tara, you sound miserable," I told her after we'd said our hellos.

"My doctor put me on bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy," she explained. My heart went out to her. Tara was an active person normally. I wondered what was going to happen with her clothing store she owned while she was on maternity leave. The line must have been quiet between us for a couple minutes, because Tara sounded a little annoyed when she asked why I was calling. I chalked up the mood swings to her pregnancy before I explained the situation again, a shorter version than Amelia's. I told her there was no need to check up on me just because Eric asked her to. She told me she was concerned for me and I didn't blame her. A couple years ago she had been in a bad spot regarding a vampire that had nearly cost Tara her life. Since then, thankfully, she had settled down with our childhood friend JB and she was now expecting their twins.

"I'd still love to spend some time with you Tara, but not because Eric asked you," I explained.

"Of course, Sookie! Why don't you come by tonight and JB can grill us some steaks?" she suggested. I told her I was working the afternoon shift, so I could be at her place just in time for dinner. After our plans were settled, we chatted just a little bit, to kill some time. I learned through Tara that Eric had called her, Amelia, Jason, Alcide, Sam, Calvin and Tanya Norris, Holly and Hoyt, Halleigh Robinson-Bellefleur and Vampire Bill. I thanked her, told her that if anyone contacted her about me that I would call them later, and said my goodbyes. It was time to head to work.

I grabbed my purse and keys from my bedroom, locked the front door and let myself out the back, double checking the lock behind me. The drive to work was quick and easy. Most people were already at work and wouldn't be heading out for lunch for almost an hour. I pulled into the employees parking lot behind the bar and got out of the car. I headed straight for the backdoor of the building, slowing when I saw Sam walking from his trailer.

"Hey Sookie!" he called. "I was just waiting for you to show up."

"Hiya Sam, how are you today?" I asked him. He told me he was ok, asking me if I'd noticed the new lemon trees he'd planted in front of his trailer. He explained that maybe we'd eventually be able to serve fresh, home grown lemons with our iced tea. He seemed very excited by the idea. He let us into the back hallway and we both headed into his office. I dropped my purse into the empty desk drawer and headed to the front to start setting up for opening. In less than an hour I had all of the chairs and bar stools sitting back on the ground (Terry Bellefleur came in very early every morning to sweep and mop the floors), the first couple of batches of coffee and iced teas ready, restocked the couple of tables that hadn't been done the night before and had all the lemons and limes cut up ready for all the afternoon drinks. I went to tell Sam and then opened up the bar. The lunch rush was busier than it had been lately, though not as busy as it used to be. I was the only waitress on because Sam was so short staffed lately, so I ran my tail off. But that made the shift go faster it and before I realized it, Tanya (who filled in whenever Sam needed an extra pair of hands at the bar) and Holly were signalling to me that it was shift change time. I ran them both through what was going on with each of my tables, the few I had, and waved goodbye to the girls and Sam. As I was driving home, I realized I had been busy enough all afternoon that I hadn't even had time to talk to Sam about Eric. It would have to wait until tomorrow night when I had to be back to work.

When I got home, I ran inside to change quickly. I left a short note for Claude, in case he happened to wonder where I was. When I had arrived home, his car was still in the driveway but I saw no lights on upstairs and I couldn't sense any movement at all in the house, brain or otherwise. I relocked the back door and drove somewhat hurriedly to Tara's. As I got out of my car at Tara and JB's, I could already smell the grill on in their backyard. I knocked on the door and after a minute of shuffling sounds, JB du Rone opened the door, his gorgeous face glowing with a huge grin.

"Sookie!" he cried, gathering me in his arms for a friendly hug. I returned the hug and stepped into the house.

"Where's Tara?" I asked. He pointed towards the backdoor.

"I managed to carefully get her onto the porch. She'll stay out there as long as she can, considering she can barely move now. She'll be happy when these babies are born," he explained. I patted him on the arm and followed him out to the back porch. I bent to give my friend a hug and sat down in the chair next to her. Tara really had gotten big. She wasn't even eight months pregnant and she was bigger than a house. I asked JB what I could do to help out with dinner, considering he was short on help, but he insisted he was fine. Dinner was to be a simple affair of steaks on the grill with baked potatoes and grilled red peppers. There was also a fresh green salad if anyone was interested. Dinner was delicious and simple, the perfect way to have it. Clean up was also easy, though I insisted I help with that. While JB and I were inside rinsing off the dishes and throwing away the garbage, we heard Tara scream from outside. We threw down what we'd been doing and ran for the door. Tara was curled in a ball on her lounge chair, clutching her stomach. She screamed again.

"Tara!" I shouted, lunging towards her, JB right on my heels. She was crying and I noticed her shorts were wet. Her water had broken. I instructed JB to hold Tara's hand and that they work on the breathing exercises they had learned in Lamaze classes while I ran inside. I grabbed their portable phone and was on the line with an operator before I'd gotten back outside. While we waited for the ambulance, the operator had JB time Tara's contractions. Relief flooded through me when I heard the sirens. I was sure it hadn't taken them very long to get to the house, but it had felt like years to me. While the paramedics loaded Tara into the back of the ambulance, I made JB promise to call me whenever something happened. He gave me a quick hug and told me where I could find the spare keys so I could lock up the house after they'd left.

I watched the ambulance until it was out of sight then went back into the house and finished cleaning the dinner mess. After that was done, I made sure all the windows and doors were locked before letting myself out, locking the front door behind me. I drove home, feeling extremely happy for the first time in a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

I pulled my car up behind the house in my usual spot, surprised to see Claude's car still parked there. Usually he was gone by now. I unlocked the back door and let myself into the kitchen. I was surprised again, this time to see the kitchen spotless and dishes I hadn't dirtied sitting on the drying rack next to the sink. I made my way through the house and found Claude and Dermot sitting in the living room watching some movie I didn't recognize.

"Hi guys. Not working tonight?" I asked. Dermot shook his head while Claude twisted around to look at me.

"Not working tonight. We get a night off once in a while somehow. A young man called looking for you earlier. He insisted on talking to you and when I explained you weren't here, he asked if he could call back and leave you a message. He didn't trust me to take it down myself he said. It's on the machine. And some guy named JB called, saying they made it to the hospital and he'll call again later," Claude told me before turning back to his movie. I thanked him and headed back to the kitchen to listen to my message. I hit the play button on the answering machine.

"Hello? Aunt Sookie? I guess you really aren't there. The man said you weren't but I really wanted to talk to you. I asked daddy if I could sleep at your house again even if he stays home and he said only if you said yes and then I called you to ask! So you have to call me back and say yes, ok? Oh! And this is Hunter!" I smiled to myself, revelling in the simplicity of a child's phone message and happy I'd be seeing Hunter soon. I heard a rustle on the extension after Hunter gave me his name and then Remy, Hunter's dad, came into the call.

"Hi Sookie! Sorry about this. Hunter has been talking about you non-stop lately, wondering when he can see his Aunt Sookie again, and he got the idea of spending the night. He insisted on calling you right away and asking if it was ok. So if you don't get back too late, give me a call so we can discuss." I glanced at the clock on the microwave and saw it was just before 9pm. Not too late to call, though I was a little worried the ringing of the phone could wake Hunter up. I figured I'd chance it.

"Hello?" Remy answered.

"Hi Remy, it's Sookie."

"Oh Sookie! How are you? Again, I'm really sorry about the call earlier. Hunter was really excited," he explained. I gave a little laugh.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. I'd love to have Hunter over again. He was a delight last time and I'm sure we'll have a great time. Maybe I can take him for two nights?" I knew it might be a bit much suggesting the two nights, but I knew Hunter would love it, if his father was okay with the idea, and Remy might welcome the little break.

After a minute of silence, Remy answered, "Yeah, I don't see the problem in two nights. It'll give me time to get things done around here I can't do with him around. And he'll love it." I gave a little cheer.

"I know Hunter will love it. I'll plan us a nice busy weekend. It'll give us a chance to talk some more too, if he has any questions," I explained. We ironed out some specifics and decided this upcoming weekend would be fine, because I wasn't working at all. Remy would be dropping him off after dinner on Friday, probably just before Amelia was due to arrive. We said our goodbyes, both deciding to keep this visit a secret for as long as possible, and as I was hanging up, I realized just how many people would be in the house this weekend. It was going to be the most crowded I've ever known it to be.

I headed back through the living room to my bedroom, calling goodnight as I went. I changed into some pyjamas and curled up in bed with a good book. I read for what seemed like ten minutes, but was really around 4 hours. I was almost finished my book, but I was really thirsty so crawled out of bed and went to grab a glass of juice in the kitchen. As I was filling my glass, I saw a flicker of movement outside out of the corner of my eye. I put the juice back in the fridge and placed my glass on the counter, sneaking to a window to investigate. I saw a familiar face roaming my yard, so I went to greet him.

"Bubba!" I called from the front porch. You'd know Bubba if you saw him, but no one ever calls him by his old name anymore. He gets very upset if you do. Bubba climbed the stairs to stand next to me, giving me a great big hug.

"Miss Sookie! It's so nice to finally see you again." He let me go and took a small step back.

"What brings you to my neck of the woods?" I asked.

"Master Eric asked me to keep an eye on you at night if he couldn't make it. He said he might be by tonight, but I have to stick by you, just in case," he told me simply. I patted Bubba on the arm.

"Have you been around long?"

"No, Master Eric only asked me the night before last. I've been staying over at Mister Bill's house during the day." I invited Bubba in while I grabbed him a couple of bottles of True Blood I always stocked in the fridge now. He declined the invitation but accepted my offer of the blood. After handing over the bottles he thanked me and then headed for his favourite spot in the woods where he could see almost my entire property. I waved good night to him and closed the door, sliding all the locks into place and hoping no cats wandered onto my property tonight. I turned to head back to the kitchen for my glass and saw Claude slinking down the stairs, half asleep.

"I heard voices, I was concerned," he explained.

"Oh, it was Bubba. Eric asked him to keep an eye on me while he and I are on our break I guess. No harm done so long as Bubba is fed and has a place to stay during the day," I said, shrugging my shoulders. I really liked having Bubba around and I was too tired to care why Eric had asked him to come by in the first place.

"Listen, Sookie…" Claude began, seeming nervous. It was a bit strange to see this.

"I wanted to tell you earlier, but it kind of slipped my mind, and then you went to bed and I didn't want to bother you," he said. I made a motion with my hands that he should carry on.

"Dermot and I were talking and we don't really need to stay here anymore. We have the bars in Monroe, and the fairy link I was missing will be back with him staying with me. I'm sorry Sookie," he explained. I shook my head.

"Don't be sorry. It's no problem. I was happy to help in the first place when it came to the fairy thing. I know it's been a little hard living all the way out here anyways. So when are you guys moving back to Monroe?" He looked a little nervous again when I asked my question.

"Um, we took Friday off to do any packing and we were going to do the move on Saturday. I hope that's not too soon," he said.

"No no, just let me know if there's anything I can do to help. Oh, and by the way, the young man calling earlier was Hunter, my nephew. He's coming out for the weekend and he'll be here Friday night so you can visit with him a bit before the move," I said. He seemed to perk up at the thought as we parted ways and went back to bed. Claude had met Hunter the last time he'd spent a night here and they'd gotten along extremely well.

As I entered my bedroom I jumped and gave a small shriek when I saw Eric sitting in the chair in the corner of the room.

"Eric! You need to stop doing that! I'm going to have to get you a bell or something!" He crossed the room and stood beside me, bending down to kiss me on the cheek in a very tender and un-Eric like way.

"I apologize my love. I was simply coming to say good night to you. I'm going to go join Bubba in the woods now," he said, heading for the door. I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards me, hugging him so tightly that if he had been human, I might have broken a bone. We stayed like that for a few moments before he broke the hug and helped me into bed. He pulled the covers up to my chin and I realized just how tired I was. As I was drifting off to sleep, I felt Eric's cool lips brush my forehead and then felt him slide into bed next to me just before my dreams invaded my brain.


	7. Chapter 7

When I awoke the next morning, I rolled over to look at the other side of the bed to see it rumpled and slept in. So I hadn't dreamed that Eric had crawled in beside me before I'd drifted off to sleep. I smiled and got out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom. That business taken care of, I headed to the kitchen for some much needed coffee. As I approached the machine, I saw a small box, roughly the size of a DVD with a note on top of it sitting on the table. I flicked the switch on the coffee maker before reading the note.

_My dearest Sookie,_

_I wanted you to know, I spent the night with you, watching you sleep. I remember doing that sometimes when I was cursed by the witch. I miss spending time with you. Pam says this is very not like myself. I wanted you to have this. I happened to see it in a store and thought of you instantly so deeply. Please accept it, and the bracelet. (I moved that to your bedroom, I noticed your cousin eyeing it). They are gifts from me to you, from the bottom of my heart, no matter what our current state is. _

_I will love you forever and always,_

_Eric_

_P.S. I have spent my day in your hidey hole. I hope this is not an inconvenience to you._

I folded the letter back up and opened the box. Peeling away the layers of tissue paper, I finally got to the gift that had apparently shaken Eric to his core when he'd seen it. Inside was the most beautiful looking scarf. It was a gorgeous shade of azure I'd ever seen with silver threads woven through it in a delicate looking pattern. It was the softest material I'd ever felt, softer than silk. I snuggled it up to my face and sniffed. I could barely smell it, but I thought I caught a whiff of Eric's cologne on it. I took a last sniff and tucked it back into the box. The coffee maker clicked off and I poured my cup before putting the box in my bedroom. I took my coffee out onto the front porch where I always had it in nice weather. After my coffee, I tidied the house, ran some errands, got in a little sun tanning and finished the book I hadn't finished the night before and then had to get ready for work. I made sure to leave Eric a note as to my whereabouts and letting him know there was some True Blood in the fridge before leaving. Work was busy and the evening went by quickly. There was the usual amount of customers, which was a good sign, and tips were good. There were no situations and no unwanted visitors, which was a relief.

By the time I got home, I was exhausted. After getting out of my car at home I waved to Bubba in the forest and he waved back. I let myself into the house and flicked on the kitchen light. I noticed there was a light on in the living room and cautiously went to investigate. Eric was sitting on my couch.

"Eric?" I said, "Is there something wrong?" He turned to look at me and shook his head.

"No, just sitting and thinking," he said. I sat down next to him and he grabbed my hand.

"Are you going to go sit with Bubba tonight?" I asked.

"Yes, I was just waiting until you got back home. I'll be going outside now," he explained. He didn't get up to leave though, instead he stayed sitting next to me and stroked the palm of my hand.

"I'll get you both a couple bottles of blood. And you're more than welcome to sit on the front porch swing, or even in here in the living room, so long as you're quiet," I told him. He gave me a small smile. I squeezed his hand and then got up to get the blood. I handed him four bottles, sure that should be more than enough for one night. He bent and gave me a tender kiss on the cheek before letting himself out the front door. I closed the door behind him, not bothering to lock it, just this once, and headed to my bedroom, noticing Eric had tidied the closet in the spare room after he'd gotten up for the night. I changed into my pyjamas quickly and slipped in between the covers, relaxing from my evening at work finally.

Despite being so tired, I had trouble sleeping all night and when I awoke the next morning, I felt more exhausted than I had in a long time. I called JB's cell phone from my cell phone in bed for news on Tara and the babies. He was excited to report that she had delivered mid-morning the day before and had a healthy baby boy and girl. Both were a good weight and length for premature twins, but he and Tara were still debating on names for the babies. He mentioned they were discharging Tara on Saturday morning. I congratulated him, asking him to pass the message along to Tara, who was sleeping when I called, and told him I'd swing by the hospital later that day for a quick visit. I knew I'd have time after lunch before having to be at work. I spent my morning doing little jobs around the house, getting ready for my visitors coming in tomorrow. At one point I jumped onto my computer to email Amelia, letting her know I was excited for her visit and that Tara had had the babies. After I'd eaten lunch, I got ready for work and headed to the hospital to visit Tara, JB and the babies. I stopped by the local Toys-R-Us to pick up some gifts beforehand.

When I entered Tara's hospital room, the first thing I saw was both Tara and JB cuddling with a baby. They looked incredibly perfect and happy. I tiptoed into the room, setting the gifts I'd brought on a chair near the door and gave each of them a hug as carefully as possible. I ran my hand over the head of the baby Tara was holding. His hair was black, curly and so very soft. He stirred a little in his sleep, blowing a little bit of a spit bubble. I peeked over at the baby JB had. Her eyes were open and she was squirming, but not crying. Her hair was wispy and blonde. I sat with them for a little while, only talking once or twice. The calm and quiet the babies seemed to possess was overwhelming. But soon it was time for me to head out for work. I hugged each of them again and kissed each baby softly on the head. I promised I would be back to visit again the next day.

Work again that night was busy and kept me going all night. I liked nights like that but I ran my feet off, which could be painful in the end. Finally, the night was over and I drove home, wanting nothing more than my bed. Eric was sitting on the couch with Bubba, watching some late night talk show, when I got home. I patted Bubba on the shoulder and kissed Eric on the top of his head before heading off to bed. I think I would have loved just sitting on the couch with them, enjoying the company, but I was too tired. Since Claude had told me he and Dermot were moving out, I hadn't really seen them, so the house was lonely again. I gradually fell asleep to the soft murmur of the TV in the background, content with life lately. But in the back of my mind, the whole Eric situation still pulled me in a hundred different directions. I'm sure Eric felt the same.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning, I woke up well before my already early alarm. I showered quickly and dressed quickly in a comfy pair of jeans and my old softball t-shirt, dabbing on only a little make-up and pulled my hair into a manageable ponytail. I grabbed my purse and keys and headed out to do the groceries, noting Eric had left me a note on the table the night before. I decided to read it when I got back from my errands.

I ran to Wal-Mart and bought a bunch of supplies for the weekend, including a couple toys and movies that Hunter would enjoy before heading back to Bon Temps to do the groceries. I reminded myself to grab a couple cases of True Blood, as my nightly vampire visitors were seriously draining my supplies. (Har-dee-har)! When I was sure I had enough food to last until at least Monday, I hurried back home to put everything away. Then I quickly changed into my work uniform and headed for work. The lunch crowd was a little quiet today and I got a good chance to chat with Sam properly for the first time since Tuesday. I updated him on everything. I told him how Eric and I were (to an extent), told him that Amelia was coming for an open-ended visit, that Hunter was spending the weekend, and how Tara was. He'd heard from someone else that she'd had the babies, but that was all he knew and he was really curious. I gave him her room number and he said he'd try and drop by for a visit after the lunch crowd, before the dinner crowd started.

Soon, I was noticing Holly waving at me for the shift switch. I finished up with the order I was taking and refilled Sheriff Bud Dearborn's iced tea before pulling my apron off. I said my goodbyes to Holly and Antoine the cook and went to retrieve my purse from Sam's office. He was busy placing an order of flowers for Tara so I waved goodbye to him and headed home. I had timed it well enough that I should have had just enough time to get home, change and have a quick dinner of my own before Remy was scheduled to drop Hunter off. Just on time, Remy rang the front doorbell just was I was putting my last dish on the drying rack. I opened the door, a huge grin on my face, to have Hunter attach himself to my legs almost instantly.

"Hi Remy! Hi Hunter!" I said with a laugh. I struggled to stay standing as I held the door open for Remy.

"Hi Sookie! Hunter, let go of Aunt Sookie's legs. you're going to hurt her if you keep holding on," Remy instructed. Hunter let go and jumped up and down, mimicking he wanted to give me a kiss. I stooped down and scooped him up, giving him a raspberry kiss on the cheek. Hunter giggled uncontrollably. He gripped my neck as I took his backpack from Remy and got any special instructions. I gave Remy a rough rundown of what I had planned for the weekend, just to be sure he wouldn't disapprove of anything. I figured he wouldn't, but it only seemed polite. We made sure we had each others numbers, Remy promising he'd be at home all weekend but he'd have his cell on and me promising my cell phone would never leave my side. After Remy left, I settled Hunter on the couch with some apple slices while I put his bag in my room. I had just realized I wasn't sure where would be sleeping for the night. I'd have to wait until Amelia got in to discuss where she'd prefer to sleep for the night. About an hour after Hunter got in, my back door crashed open and I heard my name scream through the house. Hunter looked terrified, but I had the biggest smile on my face. I jumped up and ran for the kitchen.

"AMELIA!" I shouted as she dropped her bags and opened her arms. I stepped forward and we hugged each other tightly.

"Aunt Sookie?" I heard Hunter behind me. I let go of Amelia and turned to see Hunter, peeking around the kitchen doorframe. I beckoned him over.

"Hunter, this is my friend Amelia," I told him, allowing Amelia to step around me and wave a little hello at the boy.

"Amelia," I said, turning to her, "this is Hunter, my cousin Hadley's son." Realization was written all over Amelia's face.

"He's like me," I whispered to her before she could think anything incriminating about Hadley. Her eyes widened just a little before she nodded and returned to her old self.

"Well, aren't we the luckiest girls in town, Sookie? Imagine, us being lucky enough to get to hang out with this fine young man," she said, making Hunter's cheeks turn scarlet. I stifled a chuckle. I sent Hunter back into the living room to finish the movie he'd been watching.

"So, my cousin Claude and great-uncle Dermot are moving out tomorrow morning, so for tonight you'll be sleeping in the guest room or the couch. Which would you prefer?" I asked.

"I think I'll take the couch. It'll be easier on Hunter to have the guest room. Besides, it's only one night," she said with a little laugh. Just then Claude and Dermot walked through the back door. I introduced Amelia to Dermot and then the boys headed upstairs to do the little packing they had. I heard Claude greet Hunter as they passed through the living room. I helped Amelia grab her things from the car and we loaded most of the stuff into the guest bedroom downstairs for the night, then we headed back to the living room.

"So," I began, "who wants to go see some babies?" Amelia's face lit up and Hunter looked intrigued. Without asking, Hunter turned off the TV and brought his plate that had contained his apples to the kitchen. He dropped it carefully into the sink and grabbed his sweater off the back of 'his' chair in the kitchen and returned to the living room.

"Are you coming or not?" he asked. Amelia and I giggled and grabbed our purses and sweaters and hopped into my car. Amelia begged me to stop at a store so she could pick out something to give as a gift so I took her to Wal-Mart. She picked out a few little items, and when Hunter begged, I allowed him to pick out a small toy for each of the babies. He picked sensible stuffed animals that would be good for any child at any age. We had to make the visit quick as it was approaching Hunter's bedtime and he seemed to be rubbing his eyes a little more as the night wore on.

I knocked softly on the door and peeked in. Tara was sitting up in bed and the babies were both asleep in a basinet. JB was nowhere to be seen. I snuck over to the basinet with Hunter while Amelia went to say hello to Tara. Hunter peered in the babies faces before tucking his toys next to them. After a small conversation, Amelia peeked in on the babies while Tara told me JB had gone home to shower, change and have a nap. We stuck around only a few more minutes because Hunter's eyes were slowly closing on their own. I gave Tara a big hug and told her to call me if she needed anything.

We drove home and hustled Hunter into the house. I helped him into his pyjamas while Amelia set up his bed in the guest room. After he was tucked in, Amelia and I grabbed a drink each and went to sit on the front porch. The first thing I noticed was a small green box on the porch swing. I sighed a little angrily.

"What?" Amelia asked.

"Eric," was all I said and I knew she understood. I grabbed the box and took a seat on the swing, Amelia sitting next to me. I updated her on Eric and I since she and I had spoken on the phone. She hadn't known about the gifts and while she was impressed, she also took that as a bad sign.

"He's trying to buy your love," she said. I agreed, though I didn't want to believe it. I finally opened the box and saw a pair of tiny tear drop pearl earrings. They looked delicate and expensive. Frustrated, I snapped the box shut.

"Sookie?" I heard from the dark shadows next to the porch. I wasn't startled, I could sense him, but Amelia jumped.

"Yes, Eric?"

"Are you angry with me?" he asked. I could actually feel the pain and fear in his voice.

"Well, yes. These gifts are getting to be a but much. Three in a week Eric? I love them but I don't need them. And I can't be bought. I think I'm going to have to refuse all your gifts Eric," I explained.

"No, please don't. I'll stop, and I'll stay away if that's what you wish. I'm not really needed here anyways." I had barely heard his last sentence because he's muttered it almost under his breath, but the blood bond had amplified my hearing some and I caught what he'd said.

"What?" I shouted. "What do you mean you're not really needed here anyways?" He stepped out from the shadows, not looking directly at me. He inclined his head towards Amelia in a silent greeting before continuing.

"You were never really in danger, my love. I wanted to be near you so I used your protection as a reason. It was stupid of me, but I love you so much, I couldn't bear you to be angry with me and I couldn't stand us not being together," he explained. I fumed and I knew he knew I was pissed.

"Eric, I rescind your invitation into my house. I don't want to see you again until I contact you. I will decline any further gifts from you. If you feel my safety is at risk, send Bubba, Bill, Pam or Maxwell. And stop asking people to spend time with me to have them keep an eye on me. It's uncalled for. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going into the house. Good night!" I said, my voice firm and even, even though I could feel the tears welling in my eyes, threatening to spill over and I could feel my strength wavering quickly. I forced myself not to break in front of him right now. I could feel, through the bond, how hurt and confused he was but I didn't care. I marched towards the house, tapping Amelia on the shoulder as I went.

"Good night, Eric," she said politely before following me into the house. Once the door was closed I collapsed against the door and cried and cried. Amelia sat down beside me and held my hand as long as I needed her. Eventually, the tears slowed and I was able to get up and find Amelia some blankets and pillows for the night. I bid her good night and shut myself into my room. I heard Amelia and Claude talking as I dressed for bed and slid in under the blankets. I curled up into a ball, my face buried in what would have been Eric's pillow, his smell still faintly on it, and cried myself to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, I was woken up by Hunter kicking me in his sleep. He must have snuck into my bed in the middle of the night. I turned my head to look at the clock. 8am and he was still asleep. I liked that. I stretched a little and rolled over. I felt groggy and over-tired. After laying around for close to half an hour without more sleep or Hunter getting up, I quietly slipped out of bed and tiptoed into the bathroom for a super quick shower. By the time I had washed, dressed and dried my hair, Hunter was out of bed, sitting on the living room floor in front of the couch where Amelia was still passed out. He was watching cartoons on mute. I smiled at him and gestured towards the kitchen. He flicked off the TV and followed me. I silently began gathering the things to make pancakes, flicking on the coffee maker in the process, while Hunter sat at the table, watching. Shortly, we had our pancakes and I also had my coffee. Hunter hummed softly in between bites. After we finished, he helped me rinse off the dirty dishes and stack them in the dishwasher. As we were putting the last of the cutlery in, Amelia stumbled into the kitchen, eyes still closed, mumbling something about coffee. I playfully rolled my eyes at Hunter who giggled and I grabbed a mug from the cupboard, filling it up for Amelia. I stuck it down and pushed the sugar bowl over to her. She popped one eye opened and managed a half smile before Hunter and I headed to get him dressed.

After finally getting Hunter dressed, we headed outside to run around in the yard until Amelia was showered and dressed. We'd been outside for about an hour when she came to the front door and called us in. When we got inside, we found Claude and Dermot up and dressed for moving.

"Just grabbing a quick cup of coffee before we get started," Claude informed me. "We're going to need lots of muscle today Hunter. Do you think you're up for the job?" Hunter became serious and nodded. I smiled and grabbed myself a second cup of coffee. When we'd finished our drinks, Claude and Dermot ran upstairs to make sure everything was packed and started bringing boxes down. Amelia, Hunter and I headed up to help too. Thankfully, there was plenty of small boxes and items that Hunter could carry easily. We brought everything out into the backyard by the cars. When we were finished, I took a good look at the pile we'd made.

"You know, we could probably fit all of this into all three cars," I mentioned, hoping Amelia wouldn't mind I'd volunteered her car. She nodded, happy to be of service. We managed to easily fit everything in the cars, with lots of room for Hunter in mine and Dermot in Claude's. Amelia and I followed Claude to Monroe and then began unloading the cars, bringing everything straight into the living room. It seemed to take less time to unload the cars than it had to unload the house. We finished quickly, and soon it was time to leave. Amelia went ahead back to the house while I said my goodbyes. I gave them each a hug.

"Now, don't be strangers. Drop by for a visit whenever you'd like," I told them. Claude's face got serious.

"And if you ever need anything, any help, please call me. I'll do everything in my power to help," he said. I nodded, hugging him again in thanks. Hunter gave Claude a hug and waved goodbye to Dermot before climbing into the backseat. I made sure he was strapped in before getting into the car myself and buckling up. I headed back to Bon Temps and stopped at a playground in town, letting Hunter run around for about an hour before heading back to the house for lunch. We'd had a busy morning, so after lunch I wasn't surprised that Hunter was looking a little sleepy. I put him down for a little nap in the guest room before heading upstairs to give Amelia a hand at cleaning it up and setting it up for her stay. While Hunter and I had been at the park, she'd gone to Wal-Mart and bought herself a couple sets of new sheets that were in the dryer already and a comforter that was in the washer, along with a lamp or two and some pictures. To make it feel more homey, she told me. By the time we were done, Hunter was up from his nap. After he'd woken up, I sat him down at the table with some colouring books and a couple puzzles. Amelia and I had decided to go out for dinner that evening so we only had to kill a little over an hour for Hunter and I didn't want to plop him down in front of the TV for that. While he coloured, I jumped in the shower just to wash the dirt and sweat off from the day. I tied my hair up high on my head in a messy bun to avoid getting it wet. Then I slipped on a nice pair of jeans and pretty blouse and grabbed my nicest pair of sandals to wear.

Eventually, we were all ready to go and after making sure the house was locked up, we jumped into my car and headed for Merlotte's. Where else would we have gone? It was pretty busy for a Saturday night, and Hunter was a hit with everyone. I could feel Eric's tension through the bond and it made eating difficult, but I managed to eat most of my fries and chicken tenders regardless. After a while, we'd finished eating and I realized it was almost Hunter's bedtime. We paid our bills, making sure to tip our waitress (one I'd never seen before, so she must have been one of Sam's random fill-ins) well and I waved goodnight to Sam before heading home.

I got Hunter into the bath, where he played in the water until his fingers were pruney (at his request) and then dressed him in his PJ's before setting him in front of a movie to wind down for a moment. By the time I'd cleaned up the bathroom after his bath, he was fast asleep on the couch, less than half way through his movie. I turned off the TV and picked him up carefully to put him in bed, making sure to leave the door open a crack. I snuck upstairs to see if Amelia wanted to join me in watching a movie and found her spread out on her bed, fast asleep herself. I laughed to myself and headed back downstairs deciding instead to read in bed. I dressed for bed and pulled out a new book. I was asleep myself before I'd even finished the first chapter.

The next morning, I woke up fairly late. After making a quick stop in the bathroom, I left my room to find Hunter asleep on the couch, the TV turned way down and tuned to some cartoons. I went into the kitchen and made myself some coffee, opting to have a bowl of cereal over pancakes again. Before I'd even finished my first bowl, Hunter and Amelia were both shuffling sleepily into the kitchen.

"Toast or cereal?" I asked them. Amelia pointed in the general direction of the coffee pot and Hunter asked for cereal. I let Amelia get her own coffee while I grabbed Hunter's dishes. He served himself and very carefully poured his own milk. He slurped his cereal happily while I served myself a second bowl as well as a second cup of coffee. After we'd finished and cleaned the kitchen, we all got dressed and then Amelia and I surprised Hunter with a trip to Shreveport where to took him to an indoor jungle gym filled with slides and mazes and all sorts of fun things for kids. He had a blast. When lunch time came, I broke down and took him to McDonald's. I warned him to be careful with his gift and not scare anyone again. He told me he would be very careful. Soon it was time to head home so we'd be there when Remy came to pick Hunter up. We'd only been home a few minutes, running around in the yard again, when Remy's truck pulled up.

"Daddy!" Hunter shouted, running and jumping into his arms as soon as he was out of the truck. Remy held his boy tightly. I ushered them inside where we gathered Hunter's things together, making sure he didn't forget anything. I gave Hunter a really big hug goodbye.

"Now, you call me again if you want, ok? And we'll talk about you coming back for another visit soon," I told him. He nodded and gave me another hug. Remy thanked me for taking Hunter for the weekend and I thanked him for allowing me to do it. I waved goodbye as they climbed into the truck and watched them drive away. Amelia appeared behind me just as the truck was out of sight.

"It's going to be so quiet here now," she said. I nodded in agreement. I sat down on the couch and read my book until dinner time. As I was getting up to make it, Amelia flew down the stairs.

"Nope, same routine as before. It's my turn to cook!" she informed me. I shrugged, letting her do the cooking. I followed her into the kitchen anyways, to see if I could be of any help. She refused all of my help so I watched as she prepared oven roasted chicken in a teriyaki glaze with fresh salad, chatting with her the whole time.

Just as we were sitting down to eat, I had an enormous stomach pain, like a white hot knife slicing through my stomach. I excused myself and ran for the washroom in my bedroom just in time as I had to throw up. When I'd finished, I leaned my head against the cool tile and watched the sun finishing sinking below the horizon, wondering what on earth had caused the cramp and wave of nausea. Just when I thought I was ok to go and try to eat some dinner, another wave hit me. It seemed every time I tried to move, I had to throw up. It continued for over an hour. Amelia came to check on me at one point and I told her I was fine, that I would be in soon to at least clean the kitchen. She told me she'd already done so and I thanked her as yet another wave hit. What the hell was wrong with me?


	10. Chapter 10

I woke up on my bathroom floor just as the sun was coming up. I was in just my underwear, covered in a disgusting layer of sweat and I was huddling under a couple towels. I shivered and searched for my clothes. I found them in the tub, in an extreme need of a wash (or two). I crawled to the door and pulled down my robe that was hanging on the back and slowly pulled it on. I took my time, struggling to stand on wobbly legs. I took a look in the mirror and my stomach gave a small lurch. I redid the ponytail in my hair, washed my face and brushed my teeth and began to feel mildly better. Well, not really. I took my time getting back to the bathroom door and out of the room. I was surprised to see Amelia passed out on my bed. I wanted to lie down in a comfortable bed but didn't want to disturb her, so I crossed the hall into the spare room and crawled under the covers. It felt like bliss. My eyes lids fluttered a few times and I was out.

A few minutes later I woke up and rolled over to check the clock. It was after noon. I slid out of bed and took a quick stop in the bathroom before heading for the kitchen. I didn't feel hungry, but my stomach felt safe enough to chance some soup. Amelia was sitting at the table eating a sandwich when I walked it.

"Hey," she said quietly, "How are you feeling?" I gave a weak smile.

"I'm doing okay. I have no idea what came over me last night," I said.

"I bet you're hungry. Want me to fix you something? You didn't even get to have any dinner. At least we know it was my cooking!" she said, laughing. I chuckled a little and clutched my stomach.

"Ow! Don't make me laugh!" She did her best to cover her giggles and got up to put her plate in the sink. Then she started fixing me some chicken noodle soup. When it was ready, she set a full bowl in front of me with a glass of ginger ale. I ate slowly, allowing my stomach the time to accept the food. I managed to get most of the soup down, along with two glasses of ginger ale, before my stomach began to protest. I put my spoon down and sank back. The roller coaster in my stomach felt like it was taking off. I slowly made my way to my bedroom, Amelia trailing me with a glass of water and a glass of ginger ale for me in each hand. I made it to my bed and curled into somewhat of a ball. Amelia set the glasses down on my bedside table and told me she'd be right back. She returned a minute later with her own cup of coffee. The smell of the beverage was both wonderful and disgusting to me at the same time.

"So what do you think caused you to be sick? I don't think it was anywhere or anything we ate, I'd be sick too if it was, and in the time I've known you, you've never been sick at all, not even a case of the sniffles. And I know the blood bond has helped you stay healthy. Do you have any ideas?" she asked as she sipped her coffee. I shook my head as best as I could considering I was laying down.

"I want to shower," I told her. She put her coffee cup down on my bedside table and helped me to the bathroom. She did her best to help me undress and helped me into the tub. While I showered, she grabbed me some fresh towels and some clean pyjamas and underwear. When I finished, she passed the clean towels through the curtain and I cuddled inside them for a second before drying myself off. I wrapped one towel around my hair and the other around myself and stepped out. She passed me my clean clothes and turned around, sticking close by in case I needed any help. When we were finally done, she quickly passed a comb through my hair and braided it for me to keep it neat and off my face. Then she lead me back to bed and tucked me in. My eyelids were already getting heavy.

"I was supposed to work tonight. Can you call Sam for me and tell him I won't be able to make it and I'm sorry it's such short notice?"

"Of course," she said. She went to the kitchen to make the call and was back only a couple minutes later. I was half asleep when she came back.

"Sookie, I called Sam for you. He hopes you'll feel better soon. He said he was already extremely short staffed so I offered to take your shift. I have to go get ready now but I'll check on you before I leave, ok?" she told me. I mumbled something resembling a yes as she left the room. About an hour later she came back, bringing me a small plate of crackers and a fresh glass of water. She also made sure my cell phone was close by.

"I'm going to head out now. I'll be back around midnight. If you need anything call my cell or Sam's or call us at the bar, ok?" I nodded my head once and drifted off to sleep again. I woke up hours later feel much more refreshed, but still feeling somewhat sick. I made a slow trek to the bathroom to take care of business. When I finished, I took myself to the kitchen for something more interesting than crackers or soup. I made myself a slice of toast with raspberry jam. It sat heavy in my empty stomach, but it stayed down and didn't make me feel queasy so I was happy enough. I glanced at the clock on the microwave and saw it was just after 11:30, so I dragged myself to the living room to watch some TV until Amelia came home. I didn't have to wait long, because she was coming through the back door about ten minutes later.

"Sookie, how are you feeling?" she asked as soon as she realized I was up.

"I'm doing okay. I managed to eat a piece of toast," I claimed triumphantly. Amelia gave me a thumbs up.

"I don't know if you want to know or not, but Pam is here. She didn't want to just walk in and she said she knocked several times but she never got an answer. Can she come in?"

"Yeah, I guess. Pam, you can come in," I called. The blonde vampire glided in from the kitchen wearing her favourite ensemble of a pastel coloured pantsuit.

"Sookie, you look terrible," she told me.

"Thanks Pam! What can I do for you?" I asked.

"I'm on a delivery run. I should have been by last night to drop it off but Eric didn't show up at the bar last night so I had to run things. At first I thought he was here and couldn't understand why he didn't just bring it himself, but then he didn't show up again tonight so I assumed he's run away for a while. He often takes off for a couple weeks when he's very upset. I left Maxwell in charge just for this evening. So I'm instructed to give you this box and insist you take it. Eric's note claimed it isn't exactly a gift. I also have a letter for you," she explained. I gestured for her and Amelia to take a seat. Pam chose the chair across from me while Amelia took the other end of the couch. Pam sat the small square box on the table and slide it across to me then placed the letter next to it.

I opened the box first and gasped. Inside was a gorgeous Tiffany solitaire diamond ring. It was bright and sparkled in the light of the room. I was absolutely speechless. Amelia looked shell shocked and even Pam looked impressed.

"I had no idea what I was actually delivering. I had seen it just before I went to ground on Saturday morning, but as I explained, I wasn't able to deliver it last night," she said. I just nodded. I closed the box and placed it carefully on the table as if it was made of glass. I reached for the letter next and opened it.

_Dearest Sookie,_

_I understand now why you asked me to solve this problem within me. I never realized how much it tortured you and I separately. _

_I miss you so very much. Whenever you need me, I'll be here waiting for you. I look forward to the day when you and I are together again and I can smell the sun on your skin, the wind in your hair. I've kept the kitchen well stocked in your favourite coffee and snacks. Your toothbrush is in the washroom where you left it. I'm hoping one day soon you'll be back to use it._

_I do have one more request of you. I want to marry you, legally. Please be my wife Sookie Stackhouse. I've never felt this way about anyone in my long life before. I also know you would be happier with a proper marriage, and I have no objections. I hope you will accept._

_I've asked Pam to relay this message, considering our circumstance, but please call me with your decision. I'll be waiting by my phone, day and night, for your answer._

_With all my love,_

_Eric_

I was so shocked, I let the paper flutter to the floor. Amelia dove for it. She gasped almost immediately. Pam seemed to know what was going on without reading the letter.

"Your answer?" she asked.

"I-I-I… Yes," I answered after tripping over my tongue for a moment. Pam beamed, her fangs fully run out. I walked to my room quickly and grabbed my cell phone. I dialled Eric's cell phone number but his voicemail picked up right away.

"You've reached Eric Northman. I'm unable to answer your call. Leave a message after the beep," his smooth voice said crisply. I suddenly missed him terribly. I waited for the beep.

"Eric, I've just received your gift, and your letter from Pam. And I accept! Please call me when you get this. I love you," I said to his machine. I flipped my cell phone shut and went back into the living room.

"I've just called him. It went straight to voicemail though, strangely enough," I told Pam.

"Yes," she said, nodding, "I called him last night when he didn't show and again tonight and got his voicemail directly." I offered her some blood, but she declined.

"I must be on my way. I'm not actually working at Fangtasia tonight, but there is still paperwork that needs to be done from the past few nights. I'll let you know if I hear anything from Eric. I assume you'll do the same in return?"

"Of course," I told her. I showed her out. As soon as she was gone, I turned to Amelia and we both screamed, huge smiles on both our faces. It was very immature of us and I didn't care. When we'd finally calmed down, I grabbed the box carefully and opened it again. I couldn't stop staring at its' brilliance. It felt wrong to do it this way but I pulled it out of it's slot in the box and slid it onto my finger.

"Oooooo," Amelia squealed. I laughed, my smile extending from ear to ear.

"I agree," I told her. We were both fairly calm by then, and the exhaustion of spending all day sick in bed was hitting me. Hopefully tonight would be a peaceful sleep. I said my goodnights to Amelia, who gave me a quick squeeze of a hug, and then headed off to bed. I made sure to tuck the ring back in the box before getting cozy. Knowing my luck lately, it would fall off in my sleep. I tucked the box in my sock drawer where I planned on keeping it until Eric could put it on my finger properly.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning I woke up feeling much more refreshed. I still had a strange knot in my stomach, but it was the only thing that felt out of place. I hopped out of bed and hit the shower quickly. After drying my hair I got dressed for work. I was scheduled for the lunch shift today and I felt well enough to work. Just was I was pulling on my socks, the house phone rang. I ran to the kitchen to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Sookie?"

"Sam! Hey, what's up?" I asked. Sam didn't normally call me up out of the blue unless it was important or he wanted me to come in to work early.

"I was just wondering how you were," he said. I walked to the coffee maker and turned it on. Even on a slightly queasy stomach, I didn't think one cup would hurt.

"I'm feeling much better Sam. I really don't know what came over me. It was terrible though. I'm so grateful Amelia was here," I told him.

"Yeah, you have a great friend in her," he said. I nodded at the phone.

"Was there anything else Sam?" I asked.

"No, just wanted to see how you were," he said.

"Well, I'm feeling better. But if you want me to make it to work on time, I'm going to have to let you go so I can grab a bite to eat before I head out," I explained.

"Oh! You don't have to come in if you don't feel up to it Sookie," he told me.

"Don't worry Sam. I'll make it. I'm sure I can handle my shift," I said. We said our goodbyes with promises of seeing each other in just over half an hour. I gobbled down two delicious slices of toast with orange marmalade and one and a half cups of coffee. I then rushed to the washroom to brush my teeth and put on just a touch of make-up. I left Amelia a quick note next to the coffee maker telling her I was feeling so much better and I'd be back before dinner time. I rushed out the door, remembering to lock it as always and hopped in the car for the quick drive to work.

The lunch crowd was fairly quiet today, which was a blessing because while I felt better and was eating somewhat normally again, I was still feeling a little weak from being so sick in such a short period of time so I was welcoming the random small breaks I was getting between tables. The afternoon passed by quickly. Towards the end of my shift I was able to chat with Sam as he worked behind the bar making drinks. Soon, my replacement arrived and I was able to head home. I threw my apron in the laundry bag and waved goodbye to all my coworkers. I hustled home, anxious to be in comfy clothes and relaxing for the evening. I was happy to see Amelia was in when I pulled up behind the house. I let myself in and was greeted with a wonderful smell coming from the oven and the sound of the vacuum competing to be heard over Amelia's blasting music. I stepped into the living room and watched Amelia dance around with the vacuum until I caught her eye. Embarrassed, she blushed and ran to turn the music down, stopping to unplug the vacuum along the way.

"How are you feeling today?" she asked as she wound the cord up for the machine.

"Better," I told her. "What's in the oven?"

"I wasn't sure how you were feeling so I made a simple chicken casserole. I hope you can have some," she said. I nodded. I felt confident about dinner tonight. I went to my room and switched my work uniform for some sweat pants and a Fangtasia promo T-shirt Eric had given me. I shuffled back through the living room, noting Amelia's absence, and into the kitchen where I found her pulling dinner out of the oven. I grabbed our plates, glasses and cutlery and quickly set the table. We ate quickly and it was delicious. When we finished I cleared the table and rinsed the dishes before popping them in the dishwasher. I reminded myself to run it the next day.

"What are your plans for tonight?" I asked Amelia.

"Nothing. I was hoping to hang out with you," she said. I cheered. After a lengthy discussion, we decided to raid my movie selection and throw in a couple different romantic comedies while we played a game of Monopoly. We played for hours, eventually blocking out the TV completely. I got up to stretch and grab a glass of water and saw it was nearly three in the morning. I delivered this news to Amelia who squealed.

"I have a meeting with the insurance agency early in the morning. I'm going to see if he's willing to hire me temporarily again. I may not know how long I'm staying, but maybe he'll have something for me to do," she said. I nodded.

"I don't have to be up early really. I work the late shift tomorrow but I do have errands to run and some things to do around the house," I told her. We agreed it was definitely time to head to bed. I bid Amelia goodnight as she headed upstairs. I stayed up only long enough to tidy up the game and put the movies away. I fell into bed without changing into my normal pyjamas.

I woke up the next morning when Amelia slammed the door on her way out just before nine. I hoped she would make it to her appointment on time. I got out of bed and did the usual morning routine of bathroom, brush my teeth and turn on the coffee maker. I decided to have yogurt and fresh fruit for breakfast as a change, so I got to work on peeling and cutting the fruit while my coffee brewed. After I finished, I cleaned my mess and took a quick shower. I dressed in a grubby T-shirt and an old pair of jeans and headed to town where I did some grocery shopping and exchanged books at the library. When I got back home I put away the groceries before getting to work on some household chores I'm sure were unnecessary with Amelia being in the house for now but it felt good to do them. I worked hard and didn't even realize I'd missed lunch until my stomach began to protest. I made myself a large snack before getting ready for work and heading out.

Work that evening was pretty busy for a Wednesday night and I hustled all night. Eventually the crowds left though and we were able to do our clean up and head home. When I got home I was surprised to see Pam's car parked in the front driveway. I parked around back and headed into the house. I found Amelia and Pam sitting on the couch, whispering. When they saw me, they stopped talking and stared at me.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked, giving my face a bit of a wipe with my hands.

"Sookie, I think you need to sit down," Pam told me. I shook my head.

"I don't know what you two are up to, but I don't really want to be involved," I said.

"No, Sookie, I think you need to come sit down and hear what Pam has to say," Amelia said, standing up. I shook my head again.

"No! look, I just got off work. I'm exhausted and all I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep. So if you'll excuse me. Pam, it was good to see you again, sorry I can't stay. Amelia, I'll see you tomorrow," I said, spinning on my heel to leave.

"Sookie! Eric is dead!" Pam blurted out. I stopped in mid-step.

"You're kidding," I said, turning back to them. This time Pam shook her head.

"No, Sookie. I wish I was. Eric has met his final death," she said softly. I felt the floor meet my knees before I'd realized I had fallen. Amelia rushed to my side, helping me to the chair. I began to shake uncontrollably all over. Eric couldn't be dead. He'd just proposed to me the other day. Well, a letter he had Pam deliver, but it was still the same thing. I put my head between my hands and rested my elbows on my knees. I watched as little drops formed on my legs from my tears that were racing at an incredible speed from my eyes. I was having a little trouble breathing. I did my best to calm down so I could ask Pam the details.

"I received a call from the cleaning crew that does cleans Eric's house. They said they found his front door wide open and a pile of ashes on the threshold. Upon further investigation, they found a letter from Eric. It was basically a suicide note. He explained that he couldn't live without you, blah, blah, blah and that if he couldn't have you that he might as well meet his true death."

"But I don't understand. He had me," I said.

"But I don't think he saw it the same way," she said. "First, you essentially banished him Friday evening. Then, he gave me the ring and letter to give to you but I saw it too late to get it to you. I'm assuming when you didn't call him directly at sundown on Saturday night, he assumed you meant no, so he jumped to conclusions and met the sun shortly afterwards." She had tears forming in the corners of her eyes. My tears were still flowing freely.

"I still don't understand. This is Eric we're talking about! How could he do this? How could he leave me like this when I was finally realizing what he meant to me?" I shouted. Amelia came over and sat on the arm of the chair, holding me while I cried. We stayed like that for what seemed like forever, until Pam cleared her throat.

"I do want to stay here, be with you through this, but I have some business to take care of regarding this. I need to get back to Shreveport. I wanted you to find out from me before anyone else and I didn't want to delay it," she said. She stood and bent to give me a hug, something vampires don't usually do. And then she was gone. Not long after, Amelia made sure I was going to be ok, despite the tragedy. She helped me change into my pyjamas and helped me crawl into bed where I cried for hours, all through the night.


	12. Chapter 12

_Dear Eric,_

_I have so much to tell you. But let me begin with the night I found out you were gone. I came home from work to find Amelia and Pam in my living room. I thought Pam was paying us a friendly visit, or at least checking in on me for you. Imagine my surprise when I insisted I was going to bed and she told me you were dead! The news shattered my heart into a million pieces. I'm still picking them up and I don't know when I'll stop. _

_The next few days I was on edge, waiting to hear any news at all from Pam. I called her every night and she was patient with me. I should have been more patient with her to be honest. She was, after all, your child, had known you better and been with you longer than I could ever have even hoped. Almost a week went by before she was able to tell me what the secret vampire crews that I wasn't allowed to know about had figured out. They pinpointed your death to Sunday evening, right before sundown. They assumed you just stayed up all day Sunday and waited until just before nightfall to meet the sun. It broke my heart to hear the news but I also felt somewhat comforted by the fact that I knew how you had gone._

_Amelia was amazing through the whole thing. She was my strength and logic when I had none, a shoulder to cry on when I needed one. I'm sure I drove her crazy every minute of it, but I'd also finally known in some way what she had gone through when Tray Dawson had passed. I think she actually loved him. She stayed with me longer than she had planned and only left a few days ago._

_Not long after Pam told me how you had died, there was a large gathering, not quite a funeral, for you in an old empty airplane hanger just outside of Shreveport. Every vampire I'd ever met was there, including all the out of state ones, and the King was there too. Sam came with Amelia and I, and I spotted Alcide and a few members of the Shreveport wolf pack in the crowd as well. Pam and I were treated as widowers. It was a bizarre feeling really. When it was all over, Amelia and I went to Fangtasia with most of the vampires that had owed alliance to you and we shared stories of you. The bar was closed for the first time ever to my knowledge. I know, you're probably annoyed it was closed at all, lost all that money just so we could talk. _

_Days later, Pam called me to tell me your will had been read. I am now a majority shareholder in Fangtasia with Pam, as well as a few other businesses and there's a small percentage in the New Orleans Saints football team. On top of all that, you left me your main house in Shreveport (Pam got your guest house just outside of town), your car, and more money than I know what to do with. But of all the things you left me, the most precious are the memories. _

_I think about you every single day. Sometimes, something as mundane as checking the mail reminds me of you and I have to take a second to calm myself down or gather my thoughts. You've been gone just over a month. My heart feels so heavy and completely empty each day you're gone. I'm doing my best to move on, but there are times I find it hard to breathe because of all the emotion build up inside of me. It's sad to say there are days I almost think of ending my own life, just to get rid of the pain. But I know I could never actually do something like that, and I know you would never forgive me if I did._

_There are also days I think of asking Pam to turn me into a vampire. But I know I could never forgive myself for that and I know it will never bring you back. Nothing could ever bring you back, not matter how hard I try. I find myself longing for night, where I can sleep and dream of you. These are the only times I get to see you now and it's heart breaking. But I know you'll always be only a dream away._

_I love you so very much, and I miss you. I almost feel myself counting down the days until we can be together again._

_With all my heart and all my love, forever yours,_

_Sookie _


End file.
